1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape to be used for a liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid, and a liquid discharge head having the tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink jet printing method by which an ink is discharged toward a printed medium for printing can be exemplified as a use of a liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid.
An ink jet print head to be applied for the ink jet printing method (a liquid jet recording method) includes in general a plurality of minute discharge ports, liquid channels and energy generating elements placed partially at the liquid channels to generate energy required for discharging the liquid.
The discharge ports of the ink jet print head are left open to the air during use in order to discharge ink. While during non-use, a surface of the ink jet print head, where the discharge ports are aligned, is capped to prevent clogging of the discharge port caused by evaporation of an ink solvent from the discharge port, or damages caused by a contact of paper, etc. In case an ink jet print head is mounted on an apparatus such as a printer, the head can be protected by capping by means of a capping mechanism of the printer. However, in case an ink jet print head is not mounted on an apparatus, especially in a distribution stage, other protective countermeasure is required against the evaporation of the ink solvent and damages by a contact. To this end protection of the surface having the ink discharge port formed with an adhesive tape has been carried out as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,802.
In case an adhesive tape is used for protecting an ink jet print head, debris of the adhesive may be generated by peeling. It has been known that the adhesive debris, especially in the vicinity of the ink discharge port, may cause unevenness in wettability around the ink discharge port, which leads to a deviated flight direction of an ink droplet. Further it has been known that the adhesive debris may move to a discharge port to cause clogging of the same by a recovery operation after the head is mounted on an apparatus. To cope with this, a technique that a protective member having a peelable adhesiveness is bonded without contacting the adhesive with the vicinity of the ink discharge port, so as to decrease the adhesive debris in the vicinity of the ink discharge port, is disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-284284.
However, when the adhesiveness in the vicinity of the discharge port is decreased to inhibit generation of the adhesive debris, very high accuracy positioning is required to decrease the adhesiveness only in the vicinity of the ink discharge port. A very expensive apparatus is required therefor, and there are many difficulties in exercising the same. If the adhesiveness is decreased alternatively for a broader area around the ink discharge port, sealing of the ink discharge port may become incomplete. In this case, the effect on prevention of evaporation of the ink solvent may be compromised, or the tape may be detached from the ink jet print head in a distribution stage.